Self-draining window sill



March 31, 1970 D. JOHNSON El' Al.

SELF-DRAINING WINDOW SILL Filed Feb. 5, 1968 INVENTORS.

l' l I DONALD I JOHNSON 4,8 Z 4,4 *1f-,fl BfosEPf-l EMAK/ I L J MffM/Jpy/M I AT TORNEYS United States Patent O 3,503,169 SELF-DRAINING WINDOW SILL Donald I. Johnson and Joseph E. Maki, Minneapolis, Minn., assignors to De Vac, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Feb. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 703,160 Int. Cl. E06b 7/14 U.S. Cl. 52-209 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure relates to a sill construction of a window frame having a sash or sashes contactable therewith and includes a tubular sill having a drain hole on the upper portion thereof and a weep hole on the outer angularly disposed wall portion thereof. A valve closure member having a top formation in the form of a hook which is pivotally mounted in an offset position on a ange on the outer wall of the sill with the hook formation in engagement with the flange and adapted to normally position against the weep hole and close off the same but which is opened by water pressure built up in the tubular sill whereby water drains from the sill through the weep hole. Wind pressure against the valve pivotally moves the saine upon the weep hole to seal olf the same.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates broadly to window frame construction and more particularly to the sill of a window frame having a sash contactable therewith and the construction for draining the sill.

In windows having sashes which slide on or contact the sill thereof, heavy rainfall will seep in and around the perimeter of the sash collecting within the frame due to high wind velocities which drive the rain water unless there is a perfect seal between sash and frame. Mass production of window units results in less than perfect seal construction. Water collected in the frame area can normally drain out a drain hole in the Sill. Due to Wind pressure, water may be driven inwardly through the drain hole and upwardly between the sash and the frame overowing onto the interior sill where damage can result.

It is an object of the invention to provide a window sill having a tubular formation with a drain hole in the upper portion of the tubular formation and a weep hole on the angularly disposed front or outer wall portion thereof. It is a further object to provide a valve member pivotally mounted in an offset position on the outer wall portion of the tubular sill adapted to normally close the weep hole due to gravity but which is opened by water pressure built up in the tubular sill, the water entering the tubular sill via the drain hole. Rain water driven by the wind pressure against the valve in its normally closed position upon the weep hole cannot enter the tubular sill via the weep hole. When the wind pressure subsides such as between gusts, water pressure within the tubular sill opens the valve and water collected in the tubular sill drains from the same out the weep hole.

It is an additional object to provide a valve member having a body portion formed with a head portion on the upper edge thereof, a portion of the head in pivotal engagement with a flange formed on the tubular sill adjacent the weep hole.

These and other more detailed and specic objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a window sill and sliding sash with the weep valve in a normally closed position.

3,503,169 Patented Mar. 31, 1'970 ICC FIG. 2 is a partial front elevational view on the line 2-2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. l with the weep valve member shown in an open position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the valve removed from the sill.

FIG. 5 is a view on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3 with the valve removed but shown in broken lines.

FIG. 6 is a transverse section through a sill having a single track.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the sill construction A includes the tubular sill member 10 as part of the win* dow W. The sill 10 is formed of the upper wall portion 12, the inner wall portion 14, the bottom wall portion 16 and the outer wall portion 18. Mounted on the top wall 12 is the outer track 20 and spaced inwardly therefrom is the inner track 22. An outer sash 24 is shown which is slidable horizontally on the outer track 20. An inner sash 25 is slidable on the inner track, and the two sashes bypass for opening and closing of the window.

The front wall portion 18 has formed thereon the angularly disposed facing portion 26 which flares upwardly and outwardly from the outer edge of the bottom sill wall portion 16. The upper edge of the wall facing portion 26 is formed with a continuation in the form of an upstanding flange 28. Extending inwardly of the top edge of the facing portion 26 is the short horizontal wall portion 30 which terminates at its inner edge in the short vertical wall portion 32. The short wall portion 32 terminates at its upper edge in the connecting wall portion 34 which terminates in the outer short front wall portion 36 which is connected at its upper edge to the outer edge of the sill top wall portion 12. The flange 28, the horizontal short wall 30 and the short vertical wall 32 form a narrow channel 37.

The sill bottom wall portion 16 extends forwardly and downwardly to form a front support 38, and the sill rear wall portion 14 has extending downwardly from its juncture with the bottom Wall 16 the rear support 40. The sill upper wall portion 12 has formed therethrough spaced drain holes 42 which are substantially in vertical alignment with the opposed surfaces of the sashes adjacent and inwardly of the outer track 20.

The numeral 44 designates a weep hole formed in the facing portion 26 of the outer wall portion 18. The bottom edge of the weep hole 44 is in alignment with the bottom wall portion 16 of the sill 10 to allow drainage. Any given length of facing 26 is formed with a multiplicity of spaced weep holes 44 which are staggered with relation to the spaced drain holes 42.

Further provided is the valve member 46 which includes the flat elongated main body portion 48. Formed on the upper edge of the at body 48 is the elongated head portion 50 the flat central portion of which is disposed substantially ninety degrees to the at body 48. The outer edge of the head portion 50 is enlarged as at 52 which acts as a light weight. The inner edge of the head portion 50 is cupped downwardly in the direction of the body portion 48 to form an elongated hook 54, the hook 54 and the upper portion of the body portion 48 forming a channel 56.

The valve 46 is slipped onto the facing wall portion 26 at one end thereof by inserting the hook portion 54 inwardly of the ange 28 and in the channel 37. The shoulders 56 and 58 are then crimped to extend from the flange 28 on each side of the valve. The connecting wall portion 34 is in such proximity to the flange 28 that the valve 46 cannot be easily removed upwardly from the flange 28. As a result the valve is positioned on the facing 26 between the shoulders 56 and 58 and cannot be displaced longitudinally from a position therebetween.

The length and width of the valve mem-ber 46 is greater than the extent of the weep hole 44, and the valve pivot,

ally and normally hangs in the position shown in FIGS. l and 2 ilat against the facing wall portion 26 and upon and covering the weep hole 44 due to the lower edge of the hook 54 resting on the bottom of the channel 37 whereby the valve member is pivotally hung in a position offset from the main body portion 48. The otset position maintains the body 48 tilted ilat against the angularly disposed facing wall 26 and upon the hole W due to gravity. f

In FIG. 6 is illustrated a sill 10a substantially identical to sill 10 except that sill 10a has a single track 60 on which the sash 62 is contacta-ble. The identical portions bear the same reference numbers but with a lower case letter a accompanying the number. The upper wall portion 12a is formed with the drain hole 42a which is positioned between the track 60 and the inner wall portion 14a.

In operation, when water is deposited in the vicinity of the inner track 22 or track `60 it drains down through the drain holes 42 or 42a, respectively, into the tubular sill 10. As water collects in the tubular ysill a sufficient pressure is built up' against the valve 46 to cause the valve to pivot outwardly and away from the weep hole 44 and a draining of water from the sill is accomplished through the weep hole. This occurs in absence of a restraining wind pressure externally upon the valve.

During certain types of rains'torms there will be intermittent wind pressureagainst the valve which will hold the valve in a closed position upon the weep hole even though water tends to drain out. With the valve 46 normally in closed position water cannot be driven through the weep yhole and into the tubular sill where it can back up through drain hole 42 and into the area of inner track 22 where, if suilicient, will exceed the contines of the frame and run onto the interior wall. Between gusts of Wind pressure upon the valve 46, water pressure built up in the tubular sill will open the valve 46 and allow water accumulated in the tubular sill to drain outthe weep hole 44 as outlined above. y

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modiiications come Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described our invention, what we claim to be new and desire to protect lby Letters Patent is:

1. A self-draining window sill comprising:

(a) a tubular sill member,

(b) said tubular sill having drain means leading an upper portion of the tubular sill to the interior of said tubular sill,

(c) said tubular sill having a weep hole on a lower outer outer face portion thereof,

(d) fa valve member pivotally mounted on said outer face portion of said tubular sill in alignment with said weep hole,

(e) means normally positioning said valve closed upon said weep hole for preventing the entrance of wind `pressure onto the sill and allowing said valve to pivot away lfrom said weep hole and open the same due to water pressure within said tubular sill,

(f) means maintaining said valve member in alignment with said weep hole,

(g) said drain means including a hole formed in an upper portion of the tubular sill,

.(h) said valve member including a flat body portion,

(i) said means normally positioning said valve closed upon the weep hole including a head portion formed on the upper edge of said flat body and extending outwardly therefrom in both directions, one direction of which embodies a hook and the other direction of which embodies a guatsrwsisht,

from

(j) a flange formed on said tubular sill adjacentvtheY weep hole and upon which said hook is engaged,

(k) wherein said lower face portion of said tubular sill in the area of said weep hole is angularly disposed downwardly relative to the vertical and against which said ilat body portion of said valve normally rests.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said valve aligning means includes spaced shoulder means struck from said tiange and extending'outwardly therefrom.

3. A self-draining window sill comprising:

(a) a tubular sill member,

(b) said tubular sill having drain means leading from an upper portion of the tubular sill to the interior of said tubular sill,

(c) said tubular sill having a Weep hole on a lower outer outer face portion thereof, (d) a valve member pivotally mounted on said outer face portion of said tubular sill in alignment with said Weep hole,

(e) means normally positioning said valve closed upon said weep hole for preventing the entrance of wind pressure onto the sill and allowing said valve to pivot away from said weep hole and open the same due to water pressure within said tubular sill,

(f) means maintaining said valve member in alignment with said weep hole,

(g) said valve member includes a ilat body portion,

(h) said valve member includes a hook portion formed on the upper edge of said at body portion at substantially right angles to said body portion, and

(i) a flange formed on said tubular sill upwardly of .and adjacent said weep hole upon which said hook portion is engaged.

4. A self-draining window sill comprising:

(a) a tubular sill member,

(b) said tubular sill having drain means leading from an upper portion of the tubular sill to the interior of said tubular sill,

(c) said tubular sill having a weep hole on a lower outer outer face portion thereof,

(d) a valve member pivotally mounted on said outer face portion of said tubular sill in alignment with said weep hole,

(e) means normally positioning said valve closed upon said weep hole for preventing the entrance of wind pressure onto the sill and allowing said valve to pivot away from said weep hole and open the same due to water pressure within said tubular sill,

(f) means maintaining said valve member in alignment with said weep hole, land (g) said valve positioning means including said lower face portion of said tubular sill in the area of said weep hole is angularly disposed downwardly relative to the vertical and against which said flat body portion of said valve normally rests.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,827,674 3/ 1958 Hauck 52-209 2,885,040 5/ 1959 Grossman 52--235 3,199,156 8/ 1965 Riegelman 52--209` 3,410,027 12/ 1968 Bates 52-209 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner I. L. RIDGILL, JR., Assistant Examiner Us. Ci. Xn. 

